You know the saying, “Be careful what you wish for?” That is quite a conundrum in the news business.

We wish for, hope for, and search for news, and sometimes we get more than we bargained for. The bad news — hurricanes, fires, deaths, crime, unemployment, depression, and economical downturns — is never welcomed, even in the newsroom. The happy stuff — the births, awards, promotions, reunions, athletic achievements — are always welcomed. But the one thing they have in common is that they are happening in your neighborhood, and its our duty to report it as accurately and as thought-provoking as we can. And news, of course, fills the paper. Along with your letters to the editor, your children’s’ accomplishments, and our editorials, our goal is to observe, report, edit and even entertain when we can.

We know the way that much news is reported nowadays ­— online, on the go, precise but with few in-depth characteristics and facts. We have our own website (liherald.com) and we understand the importance of getting the news online quickly and accurately. But we’re still a weekly newspaper, and that gives us time to flesh out stories and not just slap them online and throw our name on top as a byline. You can sit down with us, sip some coffee or tea, put up your feet and just enjoy the tradition of reading a honest-to-goodness local newspaper.

Hurricane Sandy was daunting for all of us – and it’s one of those times that we report on what we’re living through, right there along with our neighbors. I lost electric for a week, and found out how hard it is just to plan day by day for my family without a refrigerator, a washing machine or a hot shower. Many people had it much worse that I did, and I hope they will forgive me if I seemed to be looking for stories (unfortunately, I didn’t have to look far) but I want to tell your stories — and hopefully it will propel others to action, whether it be a utility company, or for someone to volunteer or just to understand the magnitude of losing a community church, or library, or rec center, or post office.